With 5 kids and a business to run, I'm a pretty busy guy. Yet I still manage to read a lot of books. So do a lot of the most successful people in the world like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Oprah Winfrey who all credit reading books as one of the keys to their success.
Here are 4 tricks that I use to read 2-3 more books each month that I wouldn't have otherwise read. If you are a purist, this might seem like cheating, but since these are books I wouldn't have gotten to otherwise, I hope you'll forgive me.
4 Tips for Reading 2-3 More Books Each Month
1. Get an App for Reading and Listening to Books
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Get a reading app on your phone.
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There are many apps that allow you to read or listen to books on your phone. Apps like Amazon Kindle Unlimited or Hoopla allow you to download books directly to your phone so that you can read or listen to them on the go. Amazon's Kindle Unlimited service even allows you to pick from any of over 1 million titles for a low monthly rate. Get a reading app on your phone, that's step number 1 to this formula.
2. Listen to Books on Your Commute
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Read on Your Commute
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I commute about 10 minutes each way to and from work. Even if you only have a ten minute commute each way like me, that's over an hour and a half each week that you could be learning something new. Listening to books on my phone over the car speakers is how I get in a lot of extra “reading”.
I recommend getting the Nulaxy Bluetooth Handsfree Converter Kit. I prefer that over most built-in BlueTooth systems as you can start and stop your audio with the press of one button. It's also easy to carry around to another vehicle if you do things like get rental vehicles or drive the company car, and you don't have to learn a whole new system each time.
3. Listen to Books While You Walk, Run, or Work Out
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Exercise Your Mind While Working Out
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Do you do much walking, running, or working out? Instead of listening to music, why not spend some time learning new things? A wireless headset is pretty inexpensive these days. Listen to a book while you run, walk, or work out and become mentally stronger at the same time you are becoming physically stronger. Consider it a superset!
4. Read Books While You Wait
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| Read While You Wait
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How many times a day are you standing in line or sitting around playing on your phone? Use your reading app instead of playing another mindless game, and make it productive time! I normally have both an audio book and a regular book ready to go on my phone at all times. Try this habit for awhile, and you'll be amazed at how many books you can get through when you take advantage of time that you would otherwise have wasted.
Now that you have a way to read more, why not join our personal development book club if you haven't already? Click here to sign up and we'll send you a recommendation designed to challenge and grow you each month!